Jumbo surprise for Brown if either star wins

Sep 3 2016

The Australian trainer is bringing his Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge hero back from a well-deserved three-month break and has every confidence he is close to the level he was at when he swept the last two Legs, the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) and the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) with that pulverising run that has now become his signature.

But it is the different set of rivalry the son of Thorn Park will be up against as well as the conditions around the race that has Brown circumspect about a triumphant return.

Brown also launches another high-profile comeback kid in the same feature race; his Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) winner Laughing Gravy, saddled with the same reservations, if not more pronounced.

The one thing the Victorian is sure about for the duo is he could not have prepared them any better for their first-up assignment.

“Both Debt Collector and Laughing Gravy are okay, but I expect good improvement to come out of Sunday’s run,” he said.

“Between the two, the trip isn’t good for Gravy. He needs more ground but look, he’s very forward, and I really like him as a horse and the way he has been working. Don’t worry about his last two trials (last in both), he doesn’t show much in his trials.

“The trip might suit Debt Collector a little better, but even then, I would be surprised if he wins. He wants the mile, and the 1400m over the Short Course is a concern.

“It’ll be a bit of an ask for him, even if I think he’s a horse who can win first-up. It’s just that he has always run in his own age group and he will now be up against older and fitter horses who have run in handicap races and they are meeting at weight-for-age.”

Brown said the Jumbo Jet Trophy was more of a stepping stone towards their common main objective, the Singapore Triple Crown series which kicks off with the Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile (1600m) on October 9.

The Series then progresses to the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m) on October 30 before culminating with the Group 1 Longines Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) on November 20.

Brown will, however, not plot the same path for his two star gallopers, win or lose this Sunday.

“After the Jumbo Jet, Laughing Gravy will head towards a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m in three weeks’ time (September 25),” he said.

“Debt Collector will go straight to the Kranji Mile. From there, we’ll see how things pan out for them.”

Brown has booked the same last-start winning jockeys for his duo – Michael Rodd on Debt Collector and Glen Boss on Laughing Gravy.